Through the Veil
by screamsevi
Summary: Creepy Quotes Challenge. After having fallen through the veil, Sirius must now deal with death, unseen voices... and boredom.


I still couldn't believe I was dead.

Never in my wildest dreams had I fathomed that Dumbledore had actually been right: I should have never left Grimmauld Place for my own good. To think that my life had, in the end, been me choosing death over imprisonment.

Ah well.

I looked about my surroundings, the darkness that flourished in this abyss. I was in solitude, alone in an empty world. I tried to take a step forward, but my feet would not move. I was stuck. I was companionless.

I was bored.

What in the name of Merlin was that veil doing in the Ministry, anyway? Were they studying it? If so, shouldn't it have been better stored? Jeez, if I hadn't had the misfortune to fall through the thing, perhaps I would be properly dead instead of hanging around in this purgatory.

The silence continued to permeate the air, and I continued to hang in limbo. I wondered if I would ever leave. Was there some sort of unspoken law that said I had to remain in this nothingness for a certain number of hours? Hopefully not days; I was already going stir crazy.

Is there death after death? Maybe I would die again of malnutrition. Would my brain just shut down then? Would I lose all my memories of James and Harry? Truth be told, I was kind of keen to find out. How cool would it be to be able to say I died twice?

I started humming, trying to find some way to occupy my time. As much as I loved the morbid speculation, I didn't think it was too bright to waste what could be my remaining moments (for the second time) lamenting about my death. James would've said I was being a real downer.

"So you've died, have you?"

My eyes widened. A voice? Did I just hear a voice? Was someone here? Oh I hoped so; there was only so long I could entertain myself. I looked around, searching for my new companion, but I saw nothing.

Great. I was going insane.

A soft chuckling met my ears. "In the darkness, you don't see what stares back at you."

I raised an eyebrow. "Well of course not. Why would you show me your face? You're just a figment of my imagination. I've never been very creative."

"Oh Sirius Black," the voice said, rough like nails against wood. "You've been waiting for this day for a long time, haven't you?"

I scoffed. "To die? Why would I? I'm perfectly happy, thank you very much."

"Alone in a world where cruelty has no standards makes you think dying is the only way to survive."

Perhaps this wasn't my imagination after all; never have I been so off-target before when talking about myself. "Cruelty?" I asked in bewilderment. "What about the world is cruel? Other," I added as an afterthought. "Than You-Know-Who."

"You had been locked away for twelve years for a crime you didn't commit," the voice pointed out. "You finally find your freedom, only to be imprisoned in that hated house. You died at the hands of your cousin. How is this not cruel?"

"Okay, so it's not the best situation," I admitted. "But that doesn't mean I prefer death!"

"Hell is heaven when earth is hell."

"Oh, go cry me a river and drown in it," I snapped. "You think I want to be dead? You think I want to leave me godson unprotected? You think I want to leave Remus alone? Harry will be heartbroken... They both will be! They've had so much sadness in their lives-"

"They'll seek solace in their dreams. They'll protect them from the cold clutches of reality."

I bit my lip. It didn't matter anyway. There was nothing I could do now. My life was over and I was stuck here in this void of nothingness. I had to let go. I had to move on. They would be all right. They had to be. I took a deep breath, and then spoke. "I'm done talking to you. You can't convince me of anything. You can't even prove that you're real."

Silence met my proclamation, before the voice spoke once more. "Then go forth into the light, and never return to this place." A light flashed and my body began to pull itself apart. But it wasn't a painful feeling. I felt happy, triumphant almost. I could feel myself dissolve, and the voice spoke one last time. "And you thought you were in control..."

* * *

For the Creepy Quotes Challenge at the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges Forum. Hope you guys like it! If you liked this one and are so inclined, then check out my other HP oneshot Fireflies, and my nearing completion HP multi-chapter story Stupid Little Devil

So if you liked it, if you hated it, or if you really could care less then RER: Read it, Enjoy it, Review it... and then I'll Love it!

Lurve,

-Selene


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